Fraz Wahlah
Fraz Wahlah is a British Pakistani civil rights activist known for his activism against a military dictator, General Zia-ul-Haq's, martial law in Pakistan from the young age of four.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Wahlah gained notice for his youth and leading a march of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, a socialist political alliance formed to oppose and end the military dictatorship of President General Zia-ul-Haq. Fraz Wahlah led the movement as its flag-bearer, along with his father, Mr. M.S Wahlah, an Advocate who was himself a prominent leader of the movement in Punjab, Pakistan.[1]
He has become a symbol of MRD due to a photo that shows him as a flag-bearer. This photo is used as an illustration material for MRD on BBC,[1][2][3] The Wire,[5] Dawn.com,[6] The Friday Times[4] and Wikipedia.
Youngest political prisoner[edit]
Wahlah's activism began in the early 80’s as a child when his father encouraged him to walk in front of the resistance protests while holding a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) flag during strict curfews. As Wahlah recalled in a BBC interview, during these marches, activists faced tear-gas, baton charge, and arbitrary arrest and detention.[1]
Fraz Wahlah himself became the youngest political prisoner of Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan when he was arrested and detained for his resistance marches against martial law, at the tender age of four, as The Friday Times references.[4]
In August 2013, the BBC aired[2] and published[1] an interview with Fraz Wahlah about these protests along with the photograph of him leading the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy on the front-line shortly before his arrest. This was part of a series of publications and broadcasts commemorating thirty years since the start of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy.
In his interview with the BBC, Wahlah said that his father used to take him to the protests because he wanted to convey the message that resistance to the dictatorship was necessary for the future generations of Pakistan.[1]
In 2015, Fraz Wahlah's photograph showing him leading the MRD protest as its flag-bearer was published by Dawn in the pictorial history of Pakistan entitled "Pakistan's ideological project: A history as an ideological state."[6] Wahlah's photograph was included among a set of other historical photographs that defined Pakistan since its inception in 1947.
In 2021, The Friday Times referred to Fraz Wahlah as the youngest political prisoner of the Zia regime in Pakistan, and by some accounts, in all of Asia.[4]
Current activism[edit]
As Nadeem Farooq Paracha, Pakistani journalist and historian, recounts, Wahlah joined the PPP's youth wing in his twenties and later became a lawyer.[7]
Fraz Wahlah is now a barrister and currently lives in the United Kingdom. In 2015, he joined the "Lawyers Refugee Initiative" by signing a letter[8] sent to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, calling for an urgent, humane, and effective governmental response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Its signatories included leading barristers and lawyers, retired judges, Queen's Counsel, and law professors. The letter was published in The Times and The Guardian on Monday, 12 October 2015.
Wahlah has also been featured in The Parliamentary Review alongside Prime Minister Theresa May and he raised his voice for the cause of human rights in the UK and internationally.[9][10]
Technology career[edit]
In 2008, Wahlah, as a tech lawyer, was featured on the CIO Magazine and Computerworld. Both magazines published Wahlah's advice for companies on how to protect their intellectual property assets on the Internet.[11][12]
In 2010, Wahlah, while representing CureMD Healthcare Pakistan as Director Alliances at the 10th International Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, won the first-ever International ICT Award (Silver Merit) for Pakistan in the e-health category.[13][14][15][16]
Wahlah, launched the world’s first cricket club domain in 2021, which was called the game-changer for Cricket Clubs by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[17]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "ایم آر ڈی کا علمبردار: ایک کہانی". BBC News اردو (in اردو). 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "'میرے ابو مجھے بچانے کی کوشش کرتے'". BBC News اردو (in اردو). 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "آپ کی یادیں". BBC News اردو (in اردو). 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "The Life and Times of Baba Bagloos". The Friday Times - Naya Daur. 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "What Indira Gandhi's Sindh Gambit Can Teach Modi About Balochistan". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Paracha, Nadeem F. (2015-07-31). "Pakistan's ideological project: A history". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Nadeem Farooq Paracha". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Lawyers Refugee Initiative". web.archive.org. 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "1st Citizen Lawyers". The Parliamentary Review. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "The Parliamentary Review :: A Year In Perspective". www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Threats at the Speed of Light: Fraz Wahlah | CIOPakistan.com - Business Technology Leadership". web.archive.org. 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Threats at the speed of light - (Legal)". web.archive.org. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Pakistan bags 7 at APICTA 2010 | P@SHA". web.archive.org. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "CureMD bags the Merit Award in E-Health | P@SHA". web.archive.org. 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "CureMD bags the Merit Award in the E-Health category". In the Line of Wire. 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ↑ "Why The New Cricket.Club Domain Is A Game Changer For Cricket Clubs". Wisden. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
Category:Pakistan Category:1980s in Pakistan
Fraz Wahlah's article submission for review[edit]
After the article has been moved to the draft space for being accused of "sensationalism" and being "written from a fan's point of view", (which I refuse anyway) I made the following changes to ensure the article can be replaced to the main space.
1. This photo is used as the leading illustration material for MRD on BBC, The Wire, Dawn.com, The Friday Times and Wikipedia.
2. Fraz Wahlah himself became the youngest political prisoner of the military dictator Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan, and by some accounts in Asia, when he was arrested and detained for his resistance marches against martial law, at the tender age of four, as The Friday Times references.
3. In August 2013, the BBC aired and published Fraz Wahlah and his family's political struggle along with the historic photograph...
New version: In August 2013, the BBC aired and published an interview with Fraz Wahlah about these protests along with the photograph ...
4. In the interview, Wahlah recounted the struggles and hardships that he and his parents faced all their lives for supporting the cause of civil rights and democracy in the country.
5. In 2015, Fraz Wahlah's historic photograph showing him leading the MRD protest as its flag-bearer was published by Dawn...
6. ...used his column to support (new version: raised his voice for) the cause of human rights in the UK and internationally while questioning "whether the government of the United Kingdom and the British society have turned away from Britain's founding values."
7. He received the award from the Malaysian IT Minister and Miss Universe in the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamed. He caused a little controversy at the event by predicting his win right after presenting his case before the judges. He turned out to be right and won the award. Ms Jehan Ara, then president of Pakistan Software House Association, later recounted the story on her official blog.
8. As an avid cricketer and tech entrepreneur, Wahlal, launched the world’s first cricket club domain in 2021, which was called the game-changer for Cricket Clubs by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. <be>
I think after these changes are being made, the article surely can't be accused of sensationalism or being written from the viewpoint of a fan, so I will submit it for a review and kindly ask admins to place it back to the main space. Thanks.
This article "Fraz Wahlah" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Fraz Wahlah. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
